Love’s potion is once again being brewed in the next installment of the White Oak Lake series. The matchmakers have found a new project in Leslie Parker when she rents Morgan Chassion’s cabin. As always, the intentions are good when Clarice Minden and her cohorts begin to work their magic, but sometimes things just don’t go as planned and the results are disastrously funny.
All the while Morgan and the love of her life, Jaclyn, are on hand to smooth out the wrinkles.
The Magic of White Oak Lake isn’t found in the waters there or potions concocted in Clarice’s kitchen, it’s found in the people who have a great capacity to love. Grab a cup of tea, find a comfortable spot and enjoy some southern hospitality with dashes of humor, love, and compassion.
Born in 1965, Robin Alexander grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she still resides. An avid reader of Lesbian fiction, Robin decided to take the leap and try her hand at writing. It didn't take long for her favorite hobby to become a full-time author. Since her heritage is Scottish and Irish and she’s allergic to seafood, she’s considered an honorary Cajun. When she’s not writing, she’s exploring her state with the top off her Jeep in search of the small towns on the water that inspire her. Robin is awkward, sometimes shy, loaded with anxieties, accident prone, dangerous with power tools, and has been known to make idiotic decisions. She has been fortunate enough to turn her shortcomings into the hilarious characters you’ll find in her novels and short stories. Her passion is writing funny tales about falling in love, being imperfect and reveling in friendship. Robin is convinced she has the best job in the world, and she’s extremely grateful for her fans who support her and enable her to do what she loves.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
A continuation of the previous book 'The Lure of White Oak Lake'.
We check in with the fun town and its oddball neighbours, as well as our couple from the previous book, along with two new arrivals ripe for romance and meddling.
4 out of 5 stars This is Book 2 in Robin Alexander's White Oak Lake series. And in this novel, Alexander once again delivers her signature blend of humor, entertaining character dynamics, and the enchanting backdrop of White Oak Lake. While the novel maintains the captivating charm of its predecessor, "The Lure of White Oak Lake," the romantic arc left me with a slightly less exhilarating experience.
Although a new romance blooms in the town, my personal investment in Wendy and Leslie's romantic journey took a slight step back in this installment. However, where the story truly shines is in its focus on the original characters—the endearing trio of the so-called hens: Clarice, Betsy, and Ida, as well as the family dynamic of Morgan, Jaclyn, and Austin. These characters remain the heart of the narrative in this sequel for me.
Despite my slightly unfulfilled expectations for the romantic storyline, "The Magic of White Oak Lake" offers an engaging narrative with Alexander's trademark humor and the continued exploration of the delightful dynamics among the characters. I once again found myself charmed by the familiar humor and the enduring beauty of White Oak Lake.
This is a) the sixth book I've read by Alexander (and third in 3 days); b) the second book in the White Oak Lake series.
I entered this book with the vague understanding that this would be like other series I've read in the lesbian fiction field - a book that featured new characters, with an appearance by other characters from the series (whether at a cameo level, or a slightly larger role). To a certain extent, that is both true and misleading to come into this series with that background. For the simple fact that this is not a change in lead characters so much as an addition of new characters. For the characters of the first book, Lure, play a massive role in this book here (Morgan, Jaclyn, and Austin (Austin was fascinated by penis in the first book; this time he is . . . both horrified by (because of revelations regarding his moms), and intrigued by the opposite gender (pretty girl his own age) - "He wanted to know all about women's bodies and what he called a cleat and if he should push it six or seven times."); and, to a somewhat larger extent, the three batty old women, I, C, and B (what are their names, Idris, Clarice, and Betsy? I forget now)).
Added to the cast are Wendy and Leslie. Both of whom are kind of seen as being mentored by the elder Morgan and Jaclyn (a feeling gained from reading the book), but who are actually around the same age (Wendy, at 43, may or may not be the oldest of the four).
Right, so. Wendy lives nearby and works in a far off place. She regularly stops in White Oak for store items. Leslie is renting Morgan's cabin, and also works in some far off place. Both of them (Wendy and Leslie) are single and lesbians. They also do not meet each other until about 33% into the book.
For the longest time, the book seemed to focus a little too much on the characters from the previous book, to the detriment of whatever budding story could be found with Wendy and Leslie. But, eventually, both characters grew on me, and felt more fully involved in the book.
hmms. Not sure what all else I can write, now, since I'm writing this after completing my 7th Alexander book today. So I'll continue bumbling along, sliding on by. Leaving with a few thoughts:
1) there was humor, I liked the humor, it was not an overly humorous book though; 2) I like(d) the characters, I want to read more about White Oak.
First book of Robin Alexander’s that I’ve given 3 stars. Maybe my expectations were too high? It was fine, but that’s about it. There was too much time spent with secondary characters and not enough time on the MCs. I didn’t really feel like I got to know Wendy or Leslie in any meaningful way. It was basically “opposites attract” and nobody has to do any work and love just makes up for poor communication skills and trauma.
I still love Morgan and Jacklyn and Austin and their little family. Wendy and Leslie, not so much.
**sorry about the spoilers, the tags got erased when I sent the review from my work email.. Tags are now in place.. again. Hi Karma, you're a b*tch**
Adorably fun read as usual, awarded with chuckles as proof. However, I felt that some parts were a bit rushed, especially during the last few chapters.
The Hens are as hilarious as hell whether sober or doped. They do the craziest things out of love and friendship. The . I really liked Betsy and Leslie's tender moment too. Gave me the warm fuzzies.
Morgan, Jaclyn, Austin, and Knitting. haha! A representation of things teens don't ever want to know about the 'rents. But I'm being honest when I say I liked their interactions better in The Lure of WOL. Oh, oh! Their private family dance party/house cleaning scene, that was so cute and Jaclyn' s possessiveness toward Ruffie was adorable. :)
So.. we come down to Leslie and Wendy. Two wounded souls, find each other and connect blah blah blah shit happens blah blah. That's pretty much it. But, .
The scene at the field right before the epilogue had me laughing out loud . Talk about cold shower. LOL Add the fact that Leslie was in an all out panic mode.
so X times the square root of Y divided by the quantity of Z squared... I'd say this is 4-ish. :D
The story from Alexander was the same basic fluff with little angst that she's known for. I loved all the characters as usual. What I couldn't stand was that this was perhaps the first romance book I have read where the main love interests are treated like secondary characters. I feel like I spent more time with people who were not Leslie or Wendy throughout the book. Which means that the romance ended up feeling rushed and kind of more like a subplot than the main point of the story.
Look, I loved the characters from the first story. I enjoyed getting to see and interact with them again. But the other love interests deserved their own story. Plenty of stories I've read manage to strike that balance of nostalgia with old characters and, you know, an original story with new characters. This did not manage that feat at all.
It is such a good book as the WOL #1. To be honest, I love #1 better, but they still all great to me. 5 stars.
I love this book and how the author also focus on Jaclyn and Morgan as much as the new main characters. It really made me happy because i really like Jaclyn and Morgan a lots. They are such a sweet and funny couple.
Compare to the first book, this one is a bit emotional, and it made me to tear. Wendy is such a great girl and determined to get back to Leslie. Leslie is a bit strongheaded and it made me pissed at her abit, but consider with her background and bad memories, I wont go against it much, but she should be fight for her a happiness more instead of running away. If it's not everyone pushing her, giving advices and Wendy determination, I dont know if they would be back together. Well it's not like I am the one should say that. I think i can see myself in Leslie. I also pissed at myself for being afraid, coward, hid and running away.
Err.. back to the book this is such a heartwarming book. Everyone at that side of the lake are family, they help each other, supports and loves each other. The last part really made me laughing so hard. As much as The trio hen abit weird, they still funny and helpful at the same time. Giving advices and needed. I like how Ida talked to Leslie and giving her advices. Meaningful T_T
Thank you for such a wonderful book.
Oh I feel like Wendy and Leslie made is abit rush.
This is the first review I give, just because it's such a fantastic book. The first one was precious as well, but this one had me laughing my ass off one minute and crying the next. And that the book had the hability to do that speaks for itself.
I love Robin Alexander, but this one left me feeling rather uninspired. Sorry just too predictable and 'samey' which is far from RA's usual style that has suceeded in the difficult task of making me laugh out loud, have the goosebumps and feel real empathy for her characters.
I absolutely love Robin Alexander! She might actually my be a top five. This book was hilarious. I love the antics and because of RA I've romanticized Louisiana. I loved this story. Even though the story is always predictable the journey is filled with laughs and more laughs then just feel goods!!
On the review for the first book in this series I said “I think the best part of Robin Alexander’s books are that they show healthy relationships where people come together and make mature decisions“ and damn did I jinx myself. Though I understand the character’s actions, for a 39 year old, I wanted to thump her in the head. Repeatedly.
Had the previous characters not been in this book, because I would absolutely love for The Hens to be in my life, this would have been the first time I ever ranked a Robin Alexander book as a 1 star. This one just didn’t hit the funny bone like the previous books have, I didn’t vibe with the MCs the way I’m used to, and overall just fell flat for me.
It is a rare gift to have a family to love but priceless friends forever love are that family.
I just love this group of characters at White Oak. Leslie and Wendy bring a joy of love yet to be as the town folks embrace the new gal in town. The laughs, downright amazing situations they get themselves into will have you scratching your head and filling your heart. This is a brilliant love story with some outrageous moments of laughter to remind you family is love, acceptance and joy no matter where you find it. Awesome story
This is book two and both are fantastic but you do need to read them in order. Both books revolve around sweet romance story. The supporting characters are fantastic. I lost count of how many times I burst out laughing at the antics of "the hens". Wonderful story telling. I just want to sit on the porch and hang out with the folks from White Oak Lake but I'll bring my own tea, just to be on the safe side. ;)
I always enjoys this author’s books and her writing style. Her characters and her plots are incredibly witty, charmingly fun and her humor keeps me up at night reading just one more chapter. I loved the 3 hens and how they meddle in everyone’s lives. And that scene where Jaclyn is sprouting feathers while disclosing Leslie’s personal business...OMG... I’m still laughing about it. I hope there are more books in this series.
Good sequel to Lure of WOL. More Morgan, Jaclyn and Austing, which was great. Not as sold on the new Leslie/Wendy story line, and the hens - while still funny - had lost a bit of their appeal.
Still a really fun read with Alexander's standard small-community charm/challenges, great supporting cast and some hilarious dialogue.
I liked the main characters in the first book of this series so much, think my expectations were a bit too high. The main characters in this book are good, they just weren't as good, to me, as those in the first book. The White Oak Lake setting and other characters are still there and it is a great setting and set of characters.
I just might want to live in White Oak. Living by water would be my happy place. The 3 amigos that live there sound like they would be fun to hang around and make me laugh or run depending lol. Great book!
This book is definitely worth the read. I probably liked the first one a little better, but this book didn't feel like the cheap cash grab that most sequals do. Definitely would recommend.
Wow, such a good story! The characters from book 1 are present to support and cheer on the main characters of book 2. This means we get to experience the shenanigans, romps, and laughter as the magic continues and the "family" of White Oak Lake grows.
Great book like the part one but it lacked something to get to the whole 5 stars. It was nice to revisit all the old, quirky characters but I felt like it took too long for the actual story to start.
Missed the first installment but enjoyed this one enough to go back and find the first. Loved the older women, as always Alexander knows how to add in fun and humor.
I enjoyed the book, but the new romance between Leslie and Wendy didn't resonate with me. I cared more for the continuing story of Morgan, Jaclyn, Austin, Maddie and the Hens. 3.5/5
Another laugh out loud romantic comedy from Robin Alexander. But there is also some good advice and pathos - Ida and her talk with Leslie really resonates with me.
4 - As always with Robin Alexander, this is sweet and hilarious, over the top. It's another feel good romance in which the couples falls for one another hard and fast.